In the garden this week: Ponds and strawberries

Beware blanketweed Duckweed and blanketweed get into gear as weather warms. Blanketweed lurks like huge blobs of green cotton wool, while duckweed floats on the surface, making your pond look like a neatly mown bit of lawn, dangerous for unsuspecting children and drunken visitors alike. Allow weeds to grow, which will use up excess nutrients in the water, and chuck the lot on the compost heap or borders. Plant oxygenating plants such as Elodea crispa and hornwort . Strawberry yields When you think your strawberries are ready, leave them for one more day. You will be paid back in flavour. Eat them at room temperature, ideally sun-warmed. If the resulting fruits are still not your fantasy strawberry, try a different variety next year. Gariguette and Mara des Bois are favourite French market varieties.